08/09/2012
By Rob Monk
A professional punter once told me, “If it can talk, don’t bet on it.” He certainly would not have been betting on the Warragul Cycling Club Race on the weekend. Jayman Prestidge had been dropped in the first two races of the current handicap series. He was unable to hold onto his group each week and told anyone who would listen how badly he was going. Handicapper Pete Finlayson trusted him and pushed him out a minute after race one and gave him another 2 minutes in race three. Riding with the C graders, Prestidge’s scheme to dupe the handicapper payed dividends on Saturday. His poor form all of a sudden turned. Using most of his bunch as cannon fodder he held off the fast finishing scratch bunch to take victory. If he were a race horse the stewards would call for him to be swabbed.
Conditions were atrocious and numbers were down. The Limit group of Colin Manintveld, Peter O’Donnell and Michelle Scurr were first away with 16 minutes on scratch. Then followed 7 minutes later Peter Sorensen, Zvonko Maric, Luke Gallagher, Paul Kennedy and Kate Prestidge. The strong winds and hills made it difficult for the limit groups to stay together.
The largest group of the day was the one Jayman Prestidge had been allowed to infiltrate. With 6 minutes on scratch Justin and Jayman Prestidge, George Tambassis, Murray Campbell, Col Brown, and Stuart Battley had a big numerical advantage on the chasers.
Four minute in front of scratch should have been the Trio of Jason Dastey, Ross Henry and Pete Whelan. Dastey was a late scratching due to a mechanical mishap at the start. Henry and Whelan had to battle the wind on their own.
Two and a half minutes in front of scratch were Rob Monk, Geoff Thomson and Paul Yeatman. Yeatman suffered a hypothermia attack just after the start leaving Thommo and Rob on their own. (More like an ice cream headache thanks to the freezing rain and wind on my forehead…the hypothermia came later! PY)
With one minute on scratch Pete Finlayson, Glen Marriott and Jayden Manintveld would have to decide how hard to go to try and stay away from scratch pair Cy Monk and Leigh Hauxwell. When Haxwell and Monk took 30 seconds of the one minute advantage out of them the first time up the hill it was clear scratch and chopping block would come together on lap one. They passed Yeatman after 6.7kms then caught the second scratch bunch at the 12.9km mark.
Prestidge made his group wait for Col Brown and Justin Prestidge at the top of the climb on lap one so he could use them up on the flats. Col and Justin did all they could in the viscous cross winds before being dumped on the hill at the start of lap 2. Murray Campbell was nursed over and then used up on the flats on lap two before being discarded as well. This left Jayman, Tambassis and Battely to do the final lap and half on their own. They’d caught all the limit riders by now and the race was all in front of them.
The scratch men had caught everyone as well by the top of the hill on lap 3. They could see the leading trio in the distance and started to get an organised chase going. Leigh Hauxwell, Cy Monk, Glen Marriot and Pete Finlayson had done the majority of pace making on lap two with Rob Monk, Thommo and Jayden largely sitting on. On lap three everyone started to work and gap to the leaders came down quickly.
In the lead trio Prestidge had Tambassis and Battely working well. In the finishing straight Prestidge looked back and saw the gap was still 500 meters to the chasers so he let Battely destroy himself on the front for most of the last kilometre. In the sprint Prestidge had too much speed for Tambassis. Battely was spent and finished third. Cy Monk was about 10 seconds back at the finish and took fourth and fastest time for the day. Then followed Thommo, Pete Finlayson, Rob Monk, Leigh Hauxwell, Jayden Manintveld and Glen Marriott.
Racing is at Shady Creek again next week and handicapper Finlayson will not be so kind to Prestidge again.
- Jayman Prestidge
- George Tambassis
- Stuart Battley
- Fastest time Cyrus Monk.
